Mechanical pencil



Dec. 23, 1930.

5a. B. lnwr-:mnala MECHANICAL PENCIL F11-'ed Aug.

INVENTOR.4 Jaar/kwil? Tmwze/f BY m /f WM ATTORNEYS Ell-I Patented Dec. 23, 17930 UNITED 4s'ra'rss rra OFFCE RICHARD B. TAVENNE-R, OF PASADENA, CALIFORNIA MECHANICAL PENCIL Appli-cation filed August 10,1929. Serial No. 384,973. Y

This inventionv relates to an improvement in mechanical pencils, that is, in pencils having mea-ns for insertion of new leads therein and formechanically feeding the lead forward as the same is consumed. l

.quickly and easily than in the mechanica-l pencils now in use, and particularly to permit such delivery of leadsV without removing the lead feeding mechanism from the pencil.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel construction having improved means for loading the leads into the reserve supply space or magazines, whereby such loading operation may be performed without removing any of the operating mechanism of the pencil.

A further object of the invention is to provide lead storage means within the pencil, adapted to hold a relatively large number of leads in vposition for successive delivery to feeding position, whereby the pencil is enabled to be operated for a long period of time without requiring reloading of such storage means.

According to my invention, the pencil is provided with a tubular lead guide through which the leads may be fed to the tip of the pencil, magazine means surrounding a portion of said guide and adapted to contain a reserve supply of leads, and elongated openings in the side wall of saidV guide and at the inner face of said magazine means of substantially the vlength and width of the leads to be used in the pencil, said lead guide and magazine means being relatively rotatable so as to bring said openings into or out of register with one another. Any suitable means may be used for yfeeding the leads forwardly in said guide, such feeding means being for example similar to those used in any of the Awellknown types of mechanical pencils now on the market. The magazine means may be l provided with only a single leadholding chamber having a single opening for delivery of leads therefrom, but I prefer vto provide the samewith a plurality lof chambers each provided with an individual lead-delivering opening, the several lead-delivering openings being in the latter case spaced at different angular positions about the tubular lead guide.

Furthermore, each lead-holding chamber is preferably of sufficient radial depth to hold a'plurality of' leads in radially superposed position therein. Suitable closure meansare provided at the outer face of the magazine means, for the lead-holding chamber or lchame5 bers of said magazine means, said closure means being adapted to retain the leads therein when in closed position, and being relatively movable to open positionto permitinsertion of a new supplyof leads in said chamber or chambers. o

The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of my invention and referring thereto:

Fig. l is a longitudinal section of yone form of th e invention. v

Fi 2 is a partial plan view thereof.

Fig. 8 is a section on line 3-3 in Fig. l.

Fig. 4l is a transverse section on line 4-4 in Fig. l.

F ig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 in 3.

Fig. G is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 7 is a transverse section on line 7 7 in Fig. 6. Y

Fig. 8 is a partial plan view of the form of the invention shown in Fig. 6.

The pencil shown in Figs. l to 5 comprises a cylindrical body member 1 formed of suitable metal or composition material and provided with a recess 2 at its upper portion in which is mounted the lead feeding mechanism. The wall of recess 2 is provided with threads or spiral grooves 2. The feeding mechanism is shown in this case as of the type used ina lar stem 3 extending within the internally 100 threaded recess 2 and rotatable therein, said stem being advantageously provided with an enlarged portion 4 fitting rotatably within a. smooth walled bearing portion 5 at the upper end of barrel 1. The upper end of stein 3 projects beyond the upper end of the barrel so as to permit manual rotation thereand l have shown the usual eraser tip 6 as being secured by member 6 to said projecting upper end of the stem. Stein 3 is provided with two diametrically opposed slots extending throughout a portion of the length thereof substantially equal to or somewhat greater than the length of the leads to be used in the pencil. The lead feeding mechanism further comprises a traveller 8 projecting through the slots 7 in stem 3, so-as to be forced to turn with said stem, but being slida-ble therein, and having toothed ends 9 engaging in the threads 2 on the wall of recess 2. Anv elongated plunger 11 of small diameter is secured to traveller 8 and extends through the lower end of stem 3 and through a central bore or opening 10 in barrel 1 which serves to guide said plunger centrally of the barrel at all times.

The lower portion of the barrel 1 in this form of pencil constitutes the magazine means for holding a reserve supply of leads, and is shown as provided with four radially disposed lead-holding chambers 12 spaced substantially 900 apart, extending lo-ngitudinally of the magazine, and of a length approximately equal to the length of the leads to be used in the pencil. The width of each chamber is approximately equal to the diameter of the leads and each chamber is shown as being of a depth suiicient to accommodate four leads indicated at 18. It will be understood, however, that the depth of said chambers and consequently the number of leads which may be stored 1therein depends upon the diameter of the pencil as compared to the size of the leads. lt will also be understood that the number of storage chambers 12 may be varied, it being possible, for example, to provide only one, two, or three of such chambers instead of four, or to provide a greater number thereof.

The barrel 1 is also provided with acentral recess 14 extending between and throughout the length of the chambers 12 and a thinwalled tubular guide member 15 extends within said opening, the internal bore 16 of said guide member being substantially equal in diameter to the leads to be fed therethrough. ri'fhe plunger 11 is also of substantially the same diameter as the leads so that said plunger may be moved forward in the bore 16 to feed the leads therethrough. T he guido member 15 is shown as formed integrally with the tapered tip portion 17 which isV provided with a bore 16 forming a continuation of bore 16 and with a liange18 making a tight sliding fit" on a tapered shoulder 19 at the lower end of the body of the pencil. Forcing said flange tightly upon said shoulder serves to secure the tip of the pencil and the guide member 15 to the body of the pencil and to hold the same in lined position yith respect thereto. The guide member 15 is provided at one side with an elongated slot or opening 21 whose length andV width are substantially equal to the length and diameter respectively of the leads. Vhen said guide member is secured in the body portion with the inner end thereof engaging a shoulder 22 at the inner end of the central opening 14, the opening 21 is aligned longitudinally with the lead-holding chambers 12, all of which open at their inner ends into said central opening. By turning the tip portion 17 and consequently the guide member 15 to different angular positions with respect to the body 1, the opening 21 may be moved angularly into or out of register with the openings into the respective lead-holding chambers. In order to indicate the relative position to which the tip portion should bc turned to bring said openings into register, the barrel 1 may be provided with a mark 24 corresponding to the angular position of each of the chambers 12 and the tip 17 may be provided adjacent its upper edge with a mark 25 corresponding to the angular position. of slot 21. so that if the mark 25 is brought into alignment with any one of the marks 24 the slot 21 is moved int-o register with the corresponding lead-holdingchamber.

t will be noted, particularly in Fig. 4, that the walls of the central recess 14 between the openings at the inner ends of the respective sto-rage chambers 12 bear directly against the exterior of the tubular lead guide 15, so as to support the same against longitudinal flexure. Because of this arrangement I am permitted to use a very light walled tube for the lead guide without weakening the support afforded thereby against flexure of the lead when longitudinal pressure is applied thereto by the plunger 11 for feeding the lead forwardly as hereinafter described. This small thickness of the wall of the lead guide is of advantage in that it eliminates the tendency for a lead directly above the lead which has just been delivered through the slot 21 into the bore of said lead guide, to follow into said slot and become wedged therein when the slot is rotated out of alignient with the storage chamber, as might occur if the wall of the lead guide had to be of suiiieient thickness to itself support the lead against longitudinal ieXure. Furthermore, this construction leares the maximum space available outside the lead guide for storage of the maximum number of leads in each of the storage chambers.

ln order to permit access to the several lead-holding chambers for renewing the re- `movable closure means therefor.V

` be recessed as at 29 to receive said strip when in closed position, so that the closure member does not project beyond the contour of the remainder ofthe pencil. The strip 27 may be releasably held in closed position by means of a small lug or catch member 31 thereon extending into a recess'32 in barrel 1 and engaging a piece of spring wire 33 extending across said recess." 'Each of the chambers 12 may, ifdesired, be` provided with a closure member such as above described, but I prefer to provide such closure members for only two adjacent chambers, as shown in'Fig. 4.

Y For loading the leads into the lead-h0lding chambers 12, the tipv 17 and guide member 15 may be removed from the barrel of the pencil. With the pencil held in position with one of the closure member 27 at the top, for example, as shown'inFigs. 3 and 4, said closure member may be raised to wide open position and sufficient leads inserted through the chamber thus exposed to vfill the chamber directly below the central opening 14, this chamber being indicated particularly at12a in Fig. 4. The pencil may then be turned o so as to bring the other closure member 27 into position at the top of the pencil and this last named closure member may then be opened and suicient leads dropped in to fill the chamber which is then at the bottom of the pencil, this latter chamber being indicated particularly at 12b. Thev guide member 15 and tip 17 may then be replaced and additional leads inserted to lill thevremaining chambers 120 and 12d.V The closure members 27 may then be closed and the pencil is ready for use.

To deliver a lead from one of the lead-holding chambers 12into the central bore 16 of the guide member 15, the pencil is held with one of the marks 24 at the top', and the tip. 17 is turned so as to bring the mark 25 into alignment with said mark 24, thus bringing the opening 21 in guide member 15 into position directly beneath the correspondingchamber 12. If the plunger 11 isthen retracted in the guide member beyond the upper end'k of the vlead-holding chambers, by turning stem 3 in such direction as to cause traveller 9 to move upwardly in the thread 2, the lowermost lead 13 in this particular chamber 12 will fall by gravity through opening 21 and into the central bore 16 of guide memberV 15. If desired, the plunger may, of course, be retracted above the upper ends of the chambers 12 prior to the bringing of opening 21 into register with the uppermost of said chambers, in which case the lead will fallinto the guide member as soon as said. opening is brought into register with said chamber. The tip 17 may then be turned so as to bring the mark 25 out of register with all ofthe marks 24.

Ifthe stem 3 is then turned in such-direction ,f

as to cause traveller 9 to move downwardly in threads 2 and advance the plunger 11 through the central bore ofthe guide meinber, said plunger will engage the upper end of the lead thus delivered to position in said r guide member and cause said lead to be advanced toward and through the tip of the pencil. ,v Y

It will be seen th at with the parts arranged as shown, when plunger 11 reaches the end of its downward stroke, one of the leads or a large portion thereof will still remain in positionin the lower endof guide member 16 and in tip 17, as indicated at 13 inFig. 3. The plunger is shown in `position at this end of its stroke in the drawings, at which time traveller 9 engages the ends of slots 7 as a stop, so that it is impossible to turn stem 3 further. The operation of delivering a new lead from one of the storage chambers into the guide member must then be repeated, and the lead thus delivered will firs'tfeed the re Vmainder of lead13 out through the tip of `the pencil, and after -the lead 13 iscompletely expelled, said-'next lead will be similaily advanced through the tip of the pencil and used'up.

In the form of pencil shown in Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive the upper end of the tubular guide member 35V is rigidly secured in any suitable manner to the barrel 1, while the lower portion rof said' barrel is Vprovided with a cylindrical recess 36 in which extends a cylindrical magazine'memberv 37 having a central bore 38 fitting rotatably aroundthe guide ymember 35. The magazine member 37 is provided with' aiplurality of radially disposed chambers 39 spaced approximately 909 apart and each extending from the outer face of said magazine member to the central bore 38 thereof. The lead-holding chambers39 are, as before, substantially equal in length `and width tothe leads, while the depth thereof is sniicient to hold four or` any other suitable number of leads, dependent upon the size of the pencil. The magazine member 37 extends below the lower edge 41 of barrel 1 and is preferably flanged or enlarged at its lower portion, as indicated at 42, said enlarged portion being preferably substantially flush with or projecting somewhat beyond the periphery of the barrel 1 and being preferably 'knurled or milled as shown at 43, whereby lower edge thereof, indicating the angular position of the opening 44, while marks 47 may be provided on the enlarged portion 42 of the magazine member, indicating the angular position of chambers 39 therein, so that if the pencil is held with the mark 4G upwardly, and any one of the marks 4.7 is brought into line with said mark 46, the corresponding chamber 39 is brought into register with the opening 44, thus causing a new lead to fall by gravity into the guide meirber, provided the plunger ll is retracted above the upper ends of the chambers 39, as above described. A solid tip member 45 is threadedl;l mounted upon the lower end portion 35 of guide member 35, so as to retain the magazine member 37 in proper position, said tip member being provided with a bore 46 through which the leads are forced from the lower end of guide member 35.

The cylindrical wall portion 36 of barrel l', around the recess 36, forms the closure means for the lead-holding chambers 39 in this form of the invention and in order to permit access to said chambers for renewing the supply of leads therein, said cylindrical wall portion is shown as provided with an elongated opening 48 whose length and width are substantially equal to the length and width of the chambers 39. The magazine member may, therefore, be rotated to such position so as to bring any one of the marks 47 and consequently the corresponding` chamber 39 into position of alignment with the opening 48. The opening 48 may or may not be angularly aligned with the opening 44 in the tubular guide member. In the drawings, however, these two openings are shown as angularly aligned with one another, so that when the pencil is held in position for delivering a lead into the guide member, and any one of the chambers 39 is brought into position above the opening- 44 to so deliver a lead, said chamber is also brought into position directly beneath the opening 48, whereupon one may quickly determine whether or not there are any leads in this chamber. If this chamber is empty, the magazine may be rotated to bring another chamber into this position until one of the chambers is found to contain a lead which is then delivered into the guide member; or if all of the chambers are found to be empty, it is necessary to re-load said chambers by bringing the same successively into position beneath opening 48 and dropping the leads through said opening into said chambers.

A particular advantage of this latter form of pencil is that the loading of leads into all of the lead-holding chambers of the magazine means may be effected without removing any part of the pencil from the barrel thereof. It will also be noted that, in each form of the invention above described, the means for efecting relative movement of thev lead guide and the magazine means, for controlling the delivery of leads from said magazine means to said lead guide, are entirely independent of the lead feeding mechanism, thus simplifying the construction and operation of the pencil as compared with other types of mechanical pencils heretofore proposed in which the same mechanism is employed in part at least for feeding the leads forwardly and for causing delivery of additional leads from the storage means to position to be fed forwardly.

I claim:

l. In a mechanica-l pencil, ay tubular lead guide, magazine means surrounding said lead guide and relatively rotatable with respect thereto, a lead storage chamber extending radially in said magazine means, openings in said magazine means and said lead guide movable into and out of register with one another upon relative rotation of said magazine means and lead guide so as to permit passage of leads from said lead storage chainber into said lead guide when said magazine means and lead guide are in certain relative angular posit-ions and prevent such passage of leads when said magazine means and lead guide are in other relative angular positions, said magazine means being also provided with an opening at its outer face for insertion ofleads into said chamber, and closure means for said lead insertingl opening, said closure means being relatively movable to closed or open position with respect to said lead-inserting opening.

2. In a mechanical pencil, a tubular lead guide, magazine means surrounding said lead guide and relatively rotatable with respect thereto, a plurality of lead storage chainbers extending outwardly in said magazine means and disposed at different angular positions about said lead guide, each of said chambers being of sufficient depth to hold a plurality of leads side by side, registeralile opening means in said lead guide and magazine means permitting leads to pass from the respective lead storage chambers to said lead guide when said magazine means and lead guide are in certain relative angular positions, and preventing such passage of leads when said magazine means and lead guide are in other relative angular positions, said magazine means being also provided with openings at its outer face for insertion of leads into the respective lead storage chainbers, and closure means relatively movable to position to close or open said leadinsertin g openings.

3. ln a mechanical pencil, a tubular lead guide provided with a longitudinal opening in its side wall of suliicient size to permit passage of a lead therethrough, a magazine surrounding said lead guide and relatively rotatable with respect thereto, a lead storage chamber in said magazine and opening through the inner and outer faces thereof, said inner opening being movable into or out of registration With said opening in the lead guide by relative rotation of said magazine, and closure means movable to positions to respectively cover and uncover said outer opening.

4. In a mechanical pencil, a tubular lead guide provided With a longitudinal opening in its side Wall of sufcient size to permit passage of a lead therethrough, a magazine surrounding said lead guide and relatively rotatable With respect thereto, a lead storage chamber in said magazine and of sufficient depth to hold a pluralit-yof leads side by side, said chamber opening through the inner and outer faces of said magazine, said inner opening being movable into or out of registration With the opening in the lead guide by relative rotation of said magazine, and closure means movable to diferent positions to respectively cover and uncover said outer opening.

5. In a mechanical pencil, a tubular lead guide provided with a longitudinal opening in its side Wall of sufEcient size to permit passage of a lead therethrough, a magazine surrounding said lead guide and relatively ro tatable with respect thereto and provided With a plurality of angularly spaced lead storage chambers opening through the inner and outer faces thereof, the inner openings of the respective chambers being adapted to register with the opening in the lead guide upon relative rotation of said magazine to dierent positions, and closure means movable to positions to cover and uncover the outer openings of the respective storage chambers.

6. A mechanical pencil comprising a thin- 0 Walled tubular lead guide Whose bore conforms substantially to the diameter of a lead, magazine means having a central recess rotatably fitting around said lead guide and provided with a plurality of lead storage chambers opening through the inner face of said magazine means, the Walls of said central recess between the inner ends of said storage chambers bearing directly against the exterior of said lead guide to support the 5f, same against leXure, said lead guide having a longitudinal opening in its side Wall of sufficient size to permit passage of a lead therethrough and so positioned as to be movable, upon relative rotation of said lead guide and magazine means With respect to one another,V into and out of position to register vvith the 5 inner ends of the respective storage cham. bers, and means operable to effect such relative rotation. w ln testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed Vmy name this first day of August,

RICHARD B. TVENNER. v 

